Well I have been the busy elf and my trusty helpers had to take a nap since I worked them so hard.

Exhausted helpers

There was a piece of wood that I’ve stared at for a little while and when it eventually told me what to create…wood does that sometimes…this is what happened.

The perfect view. Made on olive wood. – SOLD

I decided to try my hand at making furniture. It was an adventure and I’m really happy how it turned out. Making furniture is a lot of work when you don’t have proper tools. Perhaps Santa will get me some This piece is now up for sale.

The mountain view. Live edge Red Oak. Steel legs.

The mountain view. Live edge table.

So below you’ll see what I’ve made so far. I’ve done a lot of cheeseboards and still have some available for custom designs if you know someone that likes cheese

A day in the country – SOLD

For the love of water – SOLD

One sport isn’t enough for this gal – SOLD

I’ll race ya – SOLD

Catch me if you can – SOLD

Mountain biking love – SOLD

Time to get steep – SOLD

Solo ride – currently available

A gal and her shepherds – SOLD

And now I’m doing wooden Christmas ornaments. I’ve started with mountain biking and climbing…cuz…well I love those sports but I’ll be doing more than that and welcome custom requests. There will be more photos in the next few days as I’ve just finished a bunch but I’m drinking Belgian beer instead of taking photos.

So I’ve been getting busy doing my favourite indoor things: being creative, listening to Christmas music and enjoying my favourite Belgian beers that are only available this time of year. My usual health challenges have kept me at home a lot but I’m making the best of it. Although I’m slowly working on painting ornaments, wood burning has kept me busy and I’m loving every minute of it. Here are the recent pieces. Most are custom and others have sold but it gives you an idea of what can be done and what might make the perfect gift. Oh, and I’m doing cheese boards…yup…they’re a piece of art and can be used for some yummy cheese. I’m doing a few different styles so there are options.

If you want to order something just contact me through my website at http://janymitgesfinearts.com or check out my instagram at

Follow me on Instagram or my athlete page to see my newest pieces as they are made and what is available for sale. Christmas is coming so if you want something custom made…get your orders in since I stop production on December 10th to celebrate my favourite season myself.

I’ll be doing ornaments soon as well. Is it too early to put up my Christmas tree yet?

Family name plate

Kamloops Couple

Family name plate

I hope everyone is well and living life to the fullest. Thanks for following me and have a spectacular day!

I now have a website for my art pieces which has been a long time coming. I’ll be posting new pieces on it, everything from wood burning, paintings to ornaments. It also provides a way to contact me since that became a bit of a challenge for folks last year. Thanks to Peter Prelich for building it and providing me a means to get my art out to a greater audience.

For those that are interested…this is what I have been up to…wood burning. Here are more pieces…most are sold..but the possibilities are endless. My website is almost ready for launch…YAY! Most of these pieces were custom ordered for wedding gifts and it has been such a privilege to be asked to create pieces for such special events. If you’re looking for something special shoot me a message…I love a challenge.

Below are more wood burned pieces that have been completed. Some are sold and there are still some available. Send me a message on this site or to my email JanyMitges(at)gmail.com for details on the pieces that are available or if you would like a custom piece done. It gives you an idea of what can be made.

There will be an actual website coming soon…finally! I’m more on the creative side of things and not very good on the marketing end of things. Needless to say the website is JanyMitgesFineArts.com and will be up and running in the near future. I’ll keep you posted. It will display past and current wood burning, paintings and Christmas ornaments. You know how much I love to paint Christmas ornaments

Also, I’ll be at the Beaver Valley Climbing Festival displaying and selling climbing related wood burning pieces in case you want to check things out. Date is July 15th. Check out the event website at….https://www.ontarioaccesscoalition.com/bvcf-2017/ for details on where the festival is being held or send me a message.

I hope these pieces inspire you to get outside and create some beautiful memories!

SOLD

SOLD

SOLD

SOLD – Went on a registry for a wedding gift

Currently available.

Available

SOLD

Available

Available

Available

]]>https://janymitges.wordpress.com/2017/06/26/more-wood-burning-and-a-website-coming/feed/0jjmisfitsSanity through wood burning!https://janymitges.wordpress.com/2017/03/16/sanity-through-wood-burning/
https://janymitges.wordpress.com/2017/03/16/sanity-through-wood-burning/#respondThu, 16 Mar 2017 13:14:48 +0000http://janymitges.wordpress.com/?p=1862Continue reading →]]>So if you have read my previous post you know that I’ve been under the weather for a bit now. The saga still continues and hopefully I’ll get test results soon and be able to move forward from this current situation. That being said, being isolated at home most of the time and trying to maintain some sanity I’ve been busy wood burning. Loving the new type of art and it’s a little easier on my brain when I can’t focus on mixing colours of paint. Most of the pieces are sold but there are a couple of treasures available. I’ll be burning more pieces so if there is something you’re looking for, don’t hesitate to drop me a message.

Hope these bring a smile to your face, inspire you to get outdoors and live a life full of passion.

4×11 Male climber – SOLD

5X8 Mountain biker – SOLD

4×13 Male Climber – SOLD

4×13 Female climber – SOLD

4X13 Female Climber – SOLD

5×8 Mountain biker – SOLD

5×13 Male climber – SOLD

4×13 climber – Currently available

9×13 Climbers – SOLD

13×9 Mountain bikers – SOLD

4×11 Male climber – SOLD

5×8 Boulderer – SOLD

13×9- The Mechanical – Mountain bikers – Currently available

10×10 Boulderers – SOLD

4×11 Female climber – SOLD

9×4 Mountain biker – SOLD

13×9 Mountain biker – SOLD

10X10 Runners – SOLD

10×4 Triathlon – SOLD

]]>https://janymitges.wordpress.com/2017/03/16/sanity-through-wood-burning/feed/0jjmisfitsOne minute at a time!https://janymitges.wordpress.com/2017/02/02/one-minute-at-a-time/
https://janymitges.wordpress.com/2017/02/02/one-minute-at-a-time/#respondThu, 02 Feb 2017 15:12:49 +0000http://janymitges.wordpress.com/?p=1852Continue reading →]]>First of all, I’d like to wish everyone a Happy New Year! I hope the holiday season was filled with love and laughter and that 2017 has started off well.

Secondly, I would like to thank everyone that ordered a Christmas ornament in 2016. It was truly a privilege to be asked to do such sentimental pieces and know that my heart/art is in so many homes for years to come…unless of course, the Christmas tree got knocked over and well…it didn’t end well for the ornament. There is always a photo of it on my computer

The Christmas season was a busy one for me. It was filled with a lot of ornament painting…which I love and as much time as possible with my husband and dear friends. The ornaments were a huge success and with the support of Freewheel Cycle in Dundas also selling my little treasures it was an incredibly busy season.

I haven’t quite been motivated to do a recap of 2016 since the end of 2016 was a bit epic and well I’ve been sick ever since. There hasn’t been much energy for my writing but I’ve put what functional time I have into painting.

So the long and short of it is no one knows what exactly is wrong. I ended up feeling ill after riding my bike trainer for a very easy one hour on December 26th. By December 28th I was in the hospital with chest pain, vomiting, nausea from hell and an endless amount of stomach acid that felt like I swallowed a bottle of muriatic acid along with a variety of other issues. Discharged that day from the hospital with the ‘it might be the flu’ answer back home I went. Days later, losing my mind from becoming more ill it was a trip to my family doctor. I pretty much had a meltdown in his office. Weak from not being able to eat because of the nausea and stomach acid which also made sleeping impossible, my chest felt like it was in between a vice grip and my spirit was pretty broken.

Through the discussions with my doctor there was the thought of an anxiety attack which wasn’t letting up and perhaps the H pylori (a bacteria that can live in the gut and cause a lot of stomach acid issues) may have returned since my first exposure to it in 2014. Back home I went with some anti-anxiety medication and antacids.

Each day showed little improvement other than the anti-anxiety meds made me groggy and foggy. At times I just broke down crying, exhausted from what seemed like an endless ordeal. I didn’t feel anxious, I felt completely broken. More trips to the doctors, more meds along with antibiotics which sent me spiraling into an even more sick and dysfunctional world, I began trying to live one minute at a time.

Each minute has been a roller coaster of highs and lows. Seconds of not being nauseous bringing brief moments of happiness were squashed with minutes of hovering over a toilet and being helped back to bed by my incredible husband. At times I thought if this was anxiety…this is f*cked! Each day has been a battle to get to medical appointments since the worst parts of my day start at about 4 a.m. and don’t let up until the afternoon. More tests are to come and hopefully at some point there will be answers and some solutions.

Painted Rock – Glacier National Park. Acrylic – SOLD

There were times that I truly felt that lying in bed was making me insane so I went to my easel and worked on paintings that brought me warmth and happiness. There are tears mixed in the paint of these pieces and they were tears of gratitude for being able to at least pursue one of my passions and have periods of happiness. These were also times that helped me keep my mind from spiraling down a road of …is the cancer back? Most cancer survivors would tell you that the fear never really leaves and being this ill certainly took my mind to dark places.

Algonquin Winter. Acrylic – SOLD

So these days I spend most of my time at home with the occasional jaunt out with my husband to an appointment or a casual walk. Exercise and extended conversations with people are not options. Watching ‘how to’ paint videos, talking to my ever-so-patient and understanding husband and brief periods in front of my easel are the few things that top up my drained spirit so I have some ammunition when the battle gets fierce.

I’ll keep you posted on what develops. Until then, I’ll post up each of my paintings that have been completed and if you have any interest in purchasing one (except these ones since they’ve all gone to new homes)…yay…don’t hesitate to contact me.

As it was said in Kung Fu Panda…”Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery and today is a gift…that is why it is called the present.”

]]>https://janymitges.wordpress.com/2017/02/02/one-minute-at-a-time/feed/0jjmisfitsimg_6633img_6571img_6754img_6744img_6748img_6628Yes Virginia….there really are more ornaments!https://janymitges.wordpress.com/2016/12/07/yes-virginia-there-really-are-more-ornaments/
https://janymitges.wordpress.com/2016/12/07/yes-virginia-there-really-are-more-ornaments/#respondWed, 07 Dec 2016 22:48:42 +0000http://janymitges.wordpress.com/?p=1837Here are a bunch of the most recent ornaments completed….just in case you like ornaments! Some of the cycling ornaments can be located at Freewheel Cycle in Dundas. Merry HO HO!

]]>https://janymitges.wordpress.com/2016/12/07/yes-virginia-there-really-are-more-ornaments/feed/0jjmisfitsimg_6528img_6530img_6560img_6563img_6569img_6571img_6575img_6581img_6584img_6586img_6593img_6595Another round of ornaments….Belgian beer and contact infohttps://janymitges.wordpress.com/2016/12/03/another-round-of-ornaments-belgian-beer-and-contact-info/
https://janymitges.wordpress.com/2016/12/03/another-round-of-ornaments-belgian-beer-and-contact-info/#respondSat, 03 Dec 2016 13:59:44 +0000http://janymitges.wordpress.com/?p=1822Continue reading →]]>Below is another series of ornaments recently completed. If you see something you like drop me a message by email and I can do a similar piece. Please put in the @ symbol where I indicate it…not the words…it prevents the robots from keying in on my email. jjmitges (the at symbol)gmail.com or jjmitges (at symbol) rogers.com . I understand people are having difficulty reaching me via wordpress so this will be easier.